DOSB President Alfons Hörmann and chair Veronika Rücker were among those to sign an open letter to Merkel, which called on the German Chancellor to provide "planning security" to the 90,000 sports clubs around the country.

Sports and leisure venues are currently closed in the country due to the restrictive measures in place to curb the spread of coronavirus. 

It was announced yesterday that these lockdown measures would be extended until March 28. 

The open letter claimed that sports clubs were struggling under the current restrictions. 

"Our clubs and state sports Federations report significant membership losses, the number of volunteers is decreasing every day and, last but not least, our society has to forego the positive health effects of sport under supervision and in groups," it said. 

"The negative effects of a lack of exercise and joie de vivre through community training are clearly visible, especially in children and adolescents, but also in senior citizens."

The letter also claimed that sport could be a solution to the problems caused by the pandemic. 

"With the responsible implementation of the pandemic-related requirements and the high level of discipline in observing the rules, sport is not a problem, but a valuable part of the solution," it said. 

The DOSB offered to assist the Government with measures to overcome the pandemic, including digital contact tracing or a nationwide exercise campaign. 

Sports and leisure venues were closed on November 2 in response to a rise in COVID-19 cases in Germany.

There was also a period earlier in 2020 when sport facilities were shut due to the pandemic.

The DOSB launched the "#SupportYourSport" campaign in December to help clubs struggling to stay afloat.